Fate intervened: A FinCom appointment led Mike Rodrigues to switch from business to public service

Friday

Sep 27, 2013 at 12:32 PMSep 27, 2013 at 2:26 PM

In 1982, Michael Rodrigues was a 22-year-old accounting major at UMass Dartmouth, then Southeastern Massachusetts University, when tragedy struck:

Lauren Daley

In 1982, Michael Rodrigues was a 22-year-old accounting major at UMass Dartmouth, then Southeastern Massachusetts University, when tragedy struck:

His father dropped dead at age 49 of a pulmonary embolism — a blood clot to his lung — leaving Michael to run the family business, ABC Flooring.

His mother Ruth became a 48-year-old widow with three sons Michael, 19-year-old Mark and 11-year-old Matthew.

"It was very traumatic," Rodrigues said. "I'd worked side by side with my father since I was 12 years old. He taught me most of what I needed to know."

Despite having the family business thrust upon him at an age when his peers might have been watching MTV and playing Atari, Rodrigues didn't quit school.

He ran ABC Flooring while studying accounting. He married Patricia (Shaffer), now his wife of 31 years. And in 1983, Rodrigues became the first member of his family to graduate from college.

Today, State Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D—Westport) represents Westport, Fall River, Lakeville, Freetown, Rochester, Somerset and Swansea in the State House in Boston.

He's won various awards, including the MASS Skills USA-VICA Appreciation Award, Friends of PACE (Parents Alliance for Catholic Education) Award, MA Police Association 2000 Legislator of the Year, Mass Medic's Legislator of the Year Award in 2006, BIO Legislator of the Year in 2007, and the Massachusetts Bio-Education Foundation Award.

In 2010 he was distinguished by the President of Portugal with the Medal of Prince Henry the Navigator. In 2011, he received the Portuguese American of the Year award from the Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts, Fall River Chapter.

"Anything worth having is worth fighting for," Rodrigues said. "Don't be afraid to follow your dreams. Don't chase money; chase happiness. I love what I do. I love the SouthCoast and I love politics."

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Rodrigues' father, John Rodrigues, was the son of Portuguese immigrants, who had emigrated to the U.S. in 1919. John enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating high school in 1952, and served in Austria during the Korean Conflict.

His mother, Ruth, was the granddaughter of English immigrants. Born and raised in Fall River, Ruth left high school at age 16 to work at the Shelburn Shirt Factory in Fall River. Her father worked at the Kerr Mill, and her mother worked at a restaurant, Grant's, in downtown Fall River.

Michael Rodrigues was born in Westport in 1959, the first child born to John and Ruth Rodrigues. Mark and Matthew would follow.

John started ABC Flooring in Westport in 1962, and Rodrigues started working with his father at age 12.

"I loved working with my father, and I loved getting my $5 a week pay — that was a lot of money for a 12-year-old back then," said the 54-year-old with a chuckle.

After graduating from Bishop Stang High School in 1977, Rodrigues enrolled at SMU as a biology major.

"I love life science. I'm still a frustrated scientist. But after two years, my dad, being a very practical Portuguese guy, said: 'What are you going to do with a degree in biology? How are you going to run a business?'"

So Rodrigues switched to accounting, and earned his bachelor's degree in 1983. He continued to run ABC Flooring, and then, in 1986, fate intervened.

"Being a small business owner in Westport with a degree in accounting, it didn't take long for the Town Moderator (Brad Sherman) to tap me to be on the Town of Westport Finance Committee," Rodrigues said.

He happily accepted the volunteer position, serving on the committee until 1994.

"I got hooked on public service," he said. "It was a lot of work, but I loved it. I loved being able to use my skills for a public benefit. I got to appreciate the role that government plays. I liked that I had the direct ability to help someone, whether it was an individual or a whole generation."

In 1995, after witnessing his close friend Ed Lambert successfully run for the mayor of Fall River, Rodrigues decided to run to for state representative. He won the special election in the spring of 1996.

"I liked the diversity of the job; the fact that you speak to so many different people about so many different topics. The job is never boring. Never mind not doing the same thing every day, you don't do the same thing every hour."

Rodrigues served in the House of Representatives until 2010, when Sen. Joan Menard retired, and her seat opened up.

"In 2010, I could've run unopposed for my House seat, but I decided to put it all on the line and take the next step: run for Senate. In the Senate, you have even more of an ability to influence public policy."

He won.

"I love the diversity of serving in the Senate," he said. "I love talking about power plants in Somerset, and then issues about the river in Westport; talking about cranberries in Rochester, and in Lakeville, talking about the Assawompset Pond complex. I'm never bored."

Rodrigues has also been appointed a number of leadership roles, including chairman of the Joint Committee on Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities and vice chair of the Joint Committee on Labor Workforce Development. He also serves as a member on numerous other committees.

And, because of his love of science, he founded the Massachusetts Biotech Caucus.

"There are various caucuses of legislators interested in special topics — in this case, we promote the biotech industry in Massachusetts," he explained.

"I love the SouthCoast. We have these two wonderful cities that were industrial giants once upon a time. But the textile industry is gone, and the fishing is facing problems. So we have a challenge before us of how we transition into a 21st century economy. Without a doubt, the most important denominator is education."

The UMass system remains close to his heart; his own children— Ian, now 26 and Mayka, 23—both attended UMass-Amherst.

"I'm very close to my alma mater," he said. "I served on the Alumni Association for a number of years, and I try to attend commencement every year. If it wasn't for that school, countless people would not have the opportunity for a college degree. It's that simple," he said.

Career-wise, Rodrigues is happy where he is.

"I like sleeping in my bed every night, and coming home to my wife. The commute back and forth to Boston can be bad, but the commute to Washington is even worse," he said with a laugh. "I'm very happy where I am. And always, I keep one thing in mind: I remember where I came from."

Lauren Daley is a freelance writer. Contact her at ldaley33@gmail.com.